Grocery shopping is so exhausting!!!

[Julie]

Years ago, I use to go grocery shopping on a rigid schedule...every 2 weeks... payday weekend.  In the last several years, that plan is totally gone from my brain.  I find myself making trips every 3 - 4 days now because I don't have the stamina to endurance shop, deal with the Raynaud's and freezing temps in the stores, nor plan meals ahead for a week or two - week period.  

Things are so off balance at meal time here anyway.  I rarely sit down and eat a meal with my husband the last year and a half, because I have to puree my food.  Because of this, I have gotten away from cooking big meals, and I feel bad that my husband isn't getting the well balanced meals that I use to prepare for the family any more either.  He laughed...good naturedly a couple of weeks ago, when he came home from work to crescent roll dogs and potato chips!  It's not usually THAT bad (I rarely make those, so this was actually kind of a treat in a way... PLUS...if you give him a beer to go with it, he's on cloud nine.  lol)

There have certainly been a lot of changes and adjustments over the years due to Sjogrens.  It's been difficult for the perfectionist in me, but I've come a long way in accepting that things don't need to be done the way I use to do them, and that I needn't feel guilty if I do what I can for the day and need to take a cat nap to catch a second wind.  

While I HATE grocery shopping, I still love to shop the malls...but I shuffle along at a much slower pace and don't cover near the number of stores that I use to.  It's good exercise AND finding a good sale never ceases to cheer me up!    (but if that kid at the kiosk that is pushing those sea salt hand lotions or neck pillows says to me one more time "excuse me, can I ask you a question?", I'm going to EXPLODE!!)

Julie :-)

[LeoLady]

Malls...I think I remember malls.  Those huge thingys that you walk miles in    Haven't been able to step foot in one for over 3 years.    Bummer.  Do some shopping for me, ok?

Hugs,

LeoLady

[SLEEPY101]

about malls-my poor kids might now even know what those are:) Most clothes shopping now has to be done online and at a one stop shop like target:)

[Julie]

LeoLady,

I moved to a very small podunk town in Alabama 3 years ago. The mall here... (if you can even call it that) is teeny tiny, so I guess that's why I can still manage a few of the stores there.  If I go to the city malls, yes...it's overwhelming.  I do a lot more shopping online these past few years too. 

Take care
Julie 

[Epson]

I like to shop at Trader Joe's and Aldi's, the stores are small, so you have a lot less walking to do.  I know that not everyone has these stores near them, but it makes shopping a breeze.  Clothes I buy on the internet, shoes I order over the phone and have them shipped to the house and let me tell you, I don't miss going to the store at all, well, maybe Home Depot and Lowe's

[navydad]

I miss Lowes and Home Depot too Epson,,, Its to depressing to go there and see what I cant do in the way of remodeling,, I knew the neuropathy was getting bad earlier this summer so I busted my butt and got the house painted and the shed doors replaced and got that painted,, Now I cant even hold a hammer let alone do any remodeling

[Epson]

I hear ya Navydad, I plan to paint the inside of the house this winter, one wall a day, I think I can handle that.  Also need to build a flyball practice box for the dog, in the old days I would whip one up on a Saturday afternoon, now I have to think about it for a week before I even buy the wood.

[bloodless]

I painted the laundry room 6 years ago and suffered horribly for days. A couple of the warehouse guys taped off one wall in my office I painted a few months ago.  It took days to get over that. I won't try that ever again. I agree, if you're gonna try it, do one wall at a time. As soon as you start to feel bad, stop. Remember you still have the cleaning time to deal with!

[warmwaters]

I'm lucky that my sweetie will shop, but he's been doing a job that can take him a way for up to 3 weeks at a time, so that doesn't always work out.

My tricks for grocery shopping include:
* Stocking up on frozen things (get my helper to do that), so that I can thaw a chicken breast or some fish and cook it up quick. He also stocks up on heavy/bulky things before he goes.
* When I'm shopping, asking for help getting things from the store staff - i.e. lift bottles of seltzer, etc. The folks at the large store that I go to for certain things are really nice about it.
* Do my "fill in" shopping for fruits and veg and milk at a smaller store like Trader Joes.  There is also a farmers market in my town, and I go there when I can, because I enjoy it, in addition to the good fresh foods.
* Ask that they pack the stuff that has to go into the fridge/freezer separately. That way, if when I get home I'm too tired to carry everything in, I just leave the non-perishables out in the car, and just bring in the stuff that has to be put away now. I will sometimes leave things in the car for days, but so what? I'll go get that box of tissue if I need it!
* I do use a grocery delivery service sometimes

One other thought - how old are the kids - are they old enough to do some of the lifting, putting away?  Are any of them vaguely orderly and would enjoy searching for grocery items for you? Can you make up a "standard" list that covers most of what you usually get? If so, you could start adding the aisle that it's in, so that you can plan your trip better. When my daughter was about 8, I use to send her to specific aisles to get items that were easy to describe. As in "Go to Aisle 3 and get Honey Nut Cheerios, like you have for breakfast in the morning." She really liked that (and at the time I had tons of energy, just wanted to have her take some responsibility).